Explore Cities/Compare Cities/Apia vs Wellington

Apia vs Wellington

Side-by-side comparison for digital nomads

Apia 28% cheaper Wellington +169 Mbps N/A / Moderate

Apia

Wilson Stratton/Unsplash

Wellington

Pat Ho/Unsplash

Nomad Cost

$2,439

Apia

$3,399

Wellington

Internet

Mbps

175

Mbps

Safety

N/A

Apia

Moderate

Wellington

Air Quality

5/5

Apia

5/5

Wellington

Healthcare

N/A

Apia

Low

Wellington

Population

35.7k

Apia

207.9k

Wellington

Apia (Samoa) and Wellington (New Zealand) are both in Oceania, offering different takes on the nomad lifestyle. Here is how they compare across the metrics that matter most.

Cost of Living

Apia is significantly cheaper for digital nomads at $2439/mo — 28% less than Wellington's $3399/mo. Over 12 months, the difference adds up to $11520.

For families, Apia costs $2242.332589285714/mo compared to Wellington's $6170.047899997556/mo.

Internet & Infrastructure

Wellington leads on internet connectivity at 175 Mbps (ranked #0 globally) versus Apia's 6 Mbps (#0). The speed gap is notable for video-heavy remote work.

Quality of Life

Both Apia and Wellington share the same safety rating — travelers can feel equally comfortable in either city.

Healthcare quality is rated similarly in both Apia and Wellington.

Monthly Weather Comparison

The best time to visit Apia is July (around 29 degrees, 1mm rain, score 345), while Wellington peaks in January (20 degrees, 0mm rain, score 405). Timing your stay around these months can make a big difference in your experience.

Cost of Living

ApiaWellington

Nomad$2,439/mo$3,399/mo

Expat$1,392/mo$2,411/mo

Local$641/mo$1,763/mo

Family$2,242/mo$6,170/mo

Internet & Infrastructure

ApiaWellington

City Speed

6 Mbps

175 Mbps

Country Speed0 Mbps175 Mbps

Environment & Health

ApiaWellington

Air Quality Score5/55/5

PollutionN/ALow

ClimateN/AHigh

Humidity7689

Quality of Life

ApiaWellington

SafetyN/AModerate

HealthcareN/ALow

Monthly Weather Comparison

Apia

Wellington

Jan

33°

6mm171

20°

0mm405

Feb

34°

9mm140

18°

0mm393

Mar

34°

3mm258

16°

0mm380

Apr

33°

3mm340

14°

0mm373

May

32°

3mm140

11°

0mm360

Jun

30°

1mm258

11°

0mm373

Jul

29°

1mm345

10°

0mm360

Aug

28°

0mm335

9°

1mm351

Sep

30°

1mm340

10°

0mm370

Oct

30°

2mm258

13°

1mm357

Nov

31°

8mm109

15°

0mm370

Dec

32°

3mm171

19°

0mm373

Who Should Choose Apia?

Clean air with a 5/5 air quality score
Family-friendly at $2242.332589285714/mo for families
Smaller city feel with 35.7k residents
Peak season in July — 29 degrees, score 345

Who Should Choose Wellington?

Excellent for video calls and large uploads with 175 Mbps
Clean air with a 5/5 air quality score
Smaller city feel with 207.9k residents
Peak season in January — 20 degrees, score 405

Overall Verdict

Overall, Wellington edges ahead for most digital nomads — at $3399/mo it runs 28% cheaper than Apia's $2439/mo, with 175 Mbps internet for reliable remote work.

Granular Price Comparison

Apia Wellington

ItemApiaWellingtonDiff

🍽️Restaurants8 items

Meal, inexpensive restaurant$4.63$12.83

64%

Meal for 2, mid-range (3-course)$32.46$64.14

49%

McMeal or equivalent combo$10.6$9.3

12%

Cappuccino (regular)$3.26$3.34

Domestic beer (0.5L draught)$3.71$6.41

42%

Imported beer (0.33L bottle)$2.97$6.41

54%

Coke/Pepsi (0.33L)$1.46$2.43

40%

Water (0.33L)$1.1$2.25

51%

🛒Markets19 items

Milk (1L)$1.11$1.97

44%

White bread (500g)$1.23$2

39%

White rice (1kg)$1.11$2.14

48%

Eggs (12)$2.74$4.23

35%

Chicken fillets (1kg)$5.94$10.15

41%

Beef round (1kg)$9.81$14.52

32%

Local cheese (1kg)$16.35$9.83

40%

Apples (1kg)$2.45$2.95

17%

Bananas (1kg)$2.45$2.15

12%

Oranges (1kg)$2.45$3.09

21%

Tomatoes (1kg)$9.28$5.42

42%

Potatoes (1kg)$1.71$2.08

18%

Onions (1kg)$1.85$1.85

Lettuce (1 head)—$2.53

—

Water (1.5L bottle)$1.48$1.16

22%

Wine, mid-range bottle$9.27$10.9

15%

Domestic beer (0.5L bottle)$2.13$3.58

41%

Imported beer (0.33L bottle)$2.59$4.31

40%

Cigarettes (pack of 20)$5.56$24.37

77%

🚌Transport8 items

One-way local transport ticket$2.22$2.36

Monthly transport pass—$96.21

—

Taxi start (normal tariff)$1.85$2.41

23%

Taxi per 1km$1.38$1.86

26%

Taxi 1hr waiting—$42.33

—

Gasoline (1L)$1.04$1.81

43%

Volkswagen Golf (new)—$22,448.99

—

Toyota Corolla (new)—$20,483.9

—

⚡Utilities3 items

Utilities, 85m² apartment/mo$556.06$138.14

75%

Internet 60+ Mbps/mo$110.84$53.65

52%

Mobile prepaid per minute—$0.25

—

🏋️Sport & Leisure3 items

Fitness club, monthly$50.05$33.42

33%

Tennis court rent (1hr weekend)$5.56$16.52

66%

Cinema, 1 ticket$5.56$11.55

52%

👶Childcare2 items

Preschool, full-day private/mo$77.23$694.14

89%

International primary school/yr$2,224.24$12,278.22

82%

👗Clothing4 items

Jeans (Levi's 501 or similar)$51.79$71.68

28%

Summer dress (chain store)$50.37$40.55

19%

Nike running shoes (mid-range)$77.68$91.08

15%

Men's leather business shoes$103.57$117.03

12%

🏠Rent4 items

1-bedroom apartment, city centre$1,112.12$1,415.61

21%

1-bedroom apartment, outside centre$315.1$1,162.41

73%

3-bedroom apartment, city centre$926.77$2,269.15

59%

3-bedroom apartment, outside centre$667.27$1,963.28

66%

🏗️Buy2 items

Price per m², city centre—$6,230.66

—

Price per m², outside centre—$4,947.94

—

💰Finance2 items

Average monthly net salary—$3,549.49

—

Mortgage interest rate (20yr fixed)—$4.05

—

Lower is better for all cost items.

Data from Open-Meteo (weather) and global internet speed rankings. Updated monthly.

Related Comparisons